Tag: courage

My friend Glenda has Cerebral Palsy and she is way cool! She is very funny and very smart and I like her a lot. She wrote a book called I’ll Do It Myself. My mom has been reading it to me and we laugh during parts of it and cry during other parts. Do you know why? Well I’ll tell you. It’s because Glenda’s story and mine have things in common and we are both very smart, determined, very funny and we overcome hurdles in our lives because of our courage and tenacity…whatever that is! Well, except that I am a dog and she is a person but you already knew that, right?

I’ll tell you more about Glenda later but here’s one very cool part of her story. When she was little and in the hospital, she had gone through a lot because of the Cerebral Palsy and her parents knew that if she could see her little dog Bonnie, she would feel better. Guess what? They made it happen. Glenda got a visit from Bonnie while she was in the very clean and sterile hospital! How cool is that?

I wish I could have been allowed to see my human mom when she was in the hospital but I wasn’t because nobody pushed the issue. Glenda’s mom and dad must be so awesome to have accomplished what they did. They must be very remarkable, just like I am. Well, except that I am “Remarkable Rugby Jones” and they are remarkable Glenda’s Mom and Dad. Don’t you agree?”

The character of Rugby Jones, this site and the books, The “Tail” of Rugby Jones: A Rascal’s Journey from Disability to Ability and The Diary of a Different Dog– Rugby Jones are based on the true story of Claudia Broome’s extraordinary Pembroke Welsh Corgi named Rugby Jones.

Claudia Broome is a noted motivational speaker, author, and coach who shares the incredibly uplifting, heartwarming and motivational story about her beloved dog Rugby Jones, who lost the use of his hind legs in a terrible accident.

Claudia decided to write Rugby’s adventures from his own point of view and with children of all ages in mind, especially those who struggle with any “different-ness” that can set them apart from others.

Using Rugby as an example, Claudia teaches children the value of accepting and respecting diversity and offering kindness to everyone. She gives encouragement to everyone who must live with and overcome the pain of any adversity.

Rugby and his wheelchair Zoomie could just as easily be any person in a wheelchair, any person who suffers from obesity, any person who is mentally challenged or any person with a life-threatening illness whose world is his bed.
His Can Do attitude goes far beyond what the adult world calls disability. For Rugby, it is all about ability, the ability to live every day fully regardless of his particular circumstance.

The books and this site are written in Rugby Jones’ lovably-cocky young voice.

He lives with a “can do” attitude and because of that he has become an example of the fact that life is what each of us makes it. Rugby Jones offers a convincing message to everyone who reads, listens or watches him make his way through the ups and downs of life. That message is based on acceptance, respect, kindness, belief, courage and a positive attitude. Rugby’s heartwarming and humorous narrative is filled with hope and understanding as he shares his earnest lessons on life.

Guess what? Rugby just might be your hero if you give him the chance.

Through her speeches, workshops and coaching, Claudia Broome, is on a mission to spread kindness, acceptance and understanding and ultimately help to stamp out bullying. Her speeches couple the importance of love and support from families with lessons that teach how to identify and remove the power from bullies.

Says Broome, “The hundreds of parents and kids who have connected with me via www.rugbyjones.com regarding their own experiences have provided me with the expertise to see what works and what doesn’t when it comes to bullying.”

Claudia is well received by all who hear her message because she knows the facts and entertains her audiences. She offers positive ways that children and adults can transform the atmosphere in a school into a climate that cultivates compassion and kindness.

To schedule Claudia to speak to you or your group, and for rates, please email request to claudia@rugbyjones.com and place ***Speaking*** on the subject line.

So you think you have it bad? There is a quote that comes to mind, “I felt sorry for myself because I had no shoes until I saw a man who had no feet.” The lesson that we must teach our children is that no matter what difficulties come our way in life, we can overcome them with the right attitude.

Today’s post is about another hero and she has an attitude that will knock your socks off. Her name is Amy Purdy and in 1999, she contracted bacterial meningitis. She was 19 years old at the time and the doctors gave her less than a 2% chance to live. As unbelievable as it may seem, Amy Purdy survived but lost both of her legs below the knee. She later needed a kidney transplant, which she received from her father a week before her twenty-first birthday.

Amy Purdy had been an avid snow boarder before the meningitis. She wanted to compete in the sport again but there were no prosthetic legs available that would help. What did she do? She built her own! Amy co-founded Adaptive Action Sports which a non-profit organization that introduces people with physical challenges to action sports. Amy was instrumental in advocating the inclusion of snowboarding into the 2014 Paralympic Games.

All of the details of Amy Purdy’s biography pale in comparison to her enthusiasm and courage. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. In this case, a video is worth thousands of words. In addition to everything else that Amy does, Amy Purdy dances. I mean she really dances. Amy and her partner Derek Hough competed in Dancing with The Stars.

If you or someone you know need some true inspiration, this video of Amy Purdy promises exactly that!

Amy Purdy is not handicapped!

As you watch, think about the words of Amy Purdy, “I can still do the stuff that I love, I just have to do it differently.”

There are some other things that I should tell you about me because they are very important to my story. I am very proud of military heroes. In fact my human grandfather went to West Point. He graduated in 1918. How cool is that? He fought in World War I and in World War II. My human mom used to go to the Army-Navy football games and visited West Point often. She even went to my human grandfather’s 50th West Point class reunion and that was a very special time because there were so many military heroes there. The picture above is of the four living graduates that year. My human grandfather was the man on the right.

My mom learned at a very young age that living in the United States of America was one of the greatest gifts anyone could be given. Every time the American flag is raised and the National Anthem is sung, I see tears in her eyes. She is so proud to be an American and so am I! She taught all of her kids that pride in America is very important. Being an American means that we should defend our country in anyway we can.

Kids can help to support our country by being kind and obeying the law. They can show respect for our flag and all that it stands for. Sometimes kids need to do even more because they have loved ones who are in the military. When their moms or dads or aunts or uncles or older siblings go away in order to protect our country, it can make them feel very sad. They need to try to remember that they are military heroes no matter what kind of job they do in the military.

Military Heroes

It’s okay to feel sad. Anyone would be sad when someone they love goes away. Sometimes when their loved ones come home, they act differently. Sometimes they get hurt and their injuries make it difficult for kids to understand and handle. My human uncle went to Vietnam when my mom was in high school. She remembers how worried her family was while he was away. Sometimes listening to the news can cause kids and adults to worry. That’s why I don’t like to listen too much to the news.

If you know someone who is in the military helping our country, you need to make sure you say thank you and try to understand how difficult it is for them. If you see a soldier in a wheelchair or with any other kind of injury, you can hold a door open or you can tell them how proud you are of their efforts. Don’t forget okay? Remember they are all military heroes.

One other very important thing. You should never let the American Flag touch the ground because that shows disrespect.

Here is some food for thought for parents. Most parents want their children to face life with high self-esteem. That said the way they go about influencing it differs greatly. Some parents give honest praise when children do things well. Others praise children for everything they do. What happens in each case? I have a theory.

Children tend to be honest. You can find out a lot about your children if you ask them some pertinent questions. Don’t just listen to their answers. Watch their faces and their body language as they answer.

Do you give honest praise?

Think about what your children do in order to receive your compliments.

Nothing

Anything

Everything

Try

Succeed

Improve

Now ask them how they feel when you compliment them when they do nothing, anything, everything, when they try, when they succeed and when they improve.

Here is the thing… if you are complimenting your kids when they don’t deserve to be complimented the compliments mean nothing. More importantly, inappropriate compliments can be detrimental to them because they have no significance. After all, why should a child work hard at something if parents give the same praise no matter what?

Giving children honest praise makes all of the difference. If a child tried to accomplish something and failed, how would you handle it? Would you give honest praise? How about saying, “You really tried and that makes me proud. Good job.”

We don’t want children to take the easy way out because that won’t help them in life. We want them to have the courage to try even if they might fail at their endeavors. Success in life is dependent on people’s ability to deal with failure and learn from their mistakes. The foundation for success is the ability to avoid giving up when things go wrong. Giving honest praise gives children perspective.

From Dr. Seuss to Thomas Edison, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Michael Jordon, there are many words of wisdom that can be shared with children. They need the adults in their lives to give hones praise and credit for trying.

“Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try.” ~ Dr. Seuss

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” ~ Thomas A. Edison

“Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Beverly N Smith, Med Reading Consultant Specialist

Written from a cute and smart disabled dog’s mouth, Rugby Jones reinforces children’s “Growth Mindset” that they can do anything if they believe they can! I highly recommend this book as a wonderful springboard for parent/child discussions as well as use in a classroom situation followed by discussions and writing opportunities.

Written from a cute and smart disabled dog’s mouth, Rugby Jones reinforces children’s “Growth Mindset” that they can do anything if they believe they can! I highly recommend this book as a wonderful springboard for parent/child discussions as well as use in a classroom situation followed by discussions and writing opportunities. - Beverly N Smith, Med – Reading Consultant/Specialist